Lock for savings-banks.



PATBNTBDQMAR. 5, 1907. o. PFLEGER. .LOCK .EUR SAVINGS BANKS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1905.

\ zvefe fr' OZZU Z9/lege?? lll UNTTED sTATgns PATENT osition.

OTTO PFLEGER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGN OR TO W. F. BURNS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

LOCK FOR SAVINGS-BANKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

l Patented March 5, 1907- Application led November 20,1905. Serial No. 288,246.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, OTTO PFLEGER, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Locks for Savings-Banks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to savings-banks, and particularly to a novel means for securing the cover of a savings-bank upon the receptacle or bank proper.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple locking mechanism of the class described, which can be easily and cheaply made, which when made will occupy a small compact space, which will be eilicient in operation, andisnot readily liableto get out of order.

Mv invention consists in a novel form of mechanism capable of accomplishing the above objects, in which an arrangement 'of' locking-dogs is employed to secure the cover upon the receptacle, this in combination with an arrangement of levers by means of which a key may operate said lockingfdogs, and this in combination with a supplemental latch mechanism for normally securing the locking mechanism in position, so that it cannot be operated except by a proper key.

Morespecifically in detail, the 4device con-- sists in such a mechanism adapted to be placed in or on the inside of the cover, which is to be secured to the upper edges of the receptacle over which it its.

It also consists in details of construction which will be hereinafter more i'ully described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a preferred form oi savings-bank, to which the device of my invention is especially designed to be applied, the bank here shown being specially intended to be carried in the pocket ofthe user. Fig. 2 is a vertical iront view of the locking mechanism, taken on line 2 of Fig. 5. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan detail view taken on line 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a rear detail view taken just inside the rear end of the cover on the line 4 of Fig. 5.v Fig. 5 is a central sectional side view of the locking mechanism, taken on line 5 of Fig. 2. the key-slot, taken on line 6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. l'illustrates a pocket-bank, in which Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view of the numeral 12 indicates the bottom` and four walls of the receptacle proper,.having around its upper open end an indented flange 13, over which the cover 14 is adaptedto snugly but detachably iit, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5.

In the cover 14 at approximately its center is a coin-slot 15 of the size and shape that any of the ordinary coins, particularly the smaller ones, in use in the country in which the device is to be used may be inserted and allowed to drop into the bank-receptacle 12 proper. Inside of this cover 14 of the bank I secure by any suitable means a supporting frame composed oi' two substantially parallel plates 16 and 17, spaced apart at convenient points by suitable posts or Webs 13, soas to.

leave a space or slot 20 between them, regis# tering with the coin-slot 15 heretofore de scrit ed and of greater width than the coinslot 15 in the cover, the front and rear plates 16 and 17 thus boundin this slot 20, through which a coin is adapte to and must pass to reach the interior of' the bank. Through these parallel plates 16 and 17 and at opposite ends thereof clear of the slot 15 are pivot-pins 22 and 23. On these pins and between the plates 16 andl7 I journal locking-dogs 24 and 25, made in the form of levers of the first class, having ononearrn latch-teeth 27, adapted when in the position of Fig. 4to engage projections` or teeth 29, placed near the upper interior edge of the bank-receptacle 12, as best shown in Fig; 4. The upper Aends of these lever latch-dogs v24 have cut in them notches 30and 31, in which the opposite ends 32 and 33 of a common coiled spring 34 are fastened, asshown in Fig. 2, with the result that thetension of the spring 34 tends to draw the latch-dogs from the position of Fig. 2 to that of Fig. 4, in which the teeth 27 engage the projections 29, as there shown. This spring 34is, asbest shown in Fig. 5, so located that it normally lies partially in the plane of the coin-slot 15. The plate 17 is cut away at 36 a suflicient amount, so that this spring 34 may be sprung sidewise toward 4the side of the bank to allow the coin to ass past it as the coin is moving from the s ot 15 in the exterior of the .-1

bank through the slot 20 between the frameplates, the tension of the spring 34 returning it to normal osition of Fig. 5 as soon as the coin is passed? L ICO IOS

In addition to the up er and Alower arms or the latch-dogs 24 an( 25, heretofore described, each respectively has a normally approximately horizontal arm or extension 38, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 4, extending toward the center of the bank. Pivoted at 40 and 41 upon the front of the frame-plate 16, heretofore described, and therefore entirely clear of the slot 20, are two supplemental levers 42, having their front ends 43 adapted to be engaged by the key 44, to be hereafter described. On the rear ends of these levers are pins 47 and 48, which extend through notches or slots 49 and 50 into the space between the frame-plates 16 and 17 at such points that they respectively engage the horizontal projections or arms 38 upon the locking-dogs 24 and 25, heretofore described, their points of such engagement, however, being entirely clear of the path of travel of the coin through the slot 20, as heretofore described. These pins 47 and 48 are so located that when the inner ends 43 of levers 42 are depressed they Will move the latchdogs 24 and 25 to theposition shown in Fig. 2, thus pulling the latch-teeth 27 out of engagement with the projections 29 upon the interior of the receptacle 12, this against the action of the spring 34, and that when the inner ends 43 of the supplemental levers 42 are released the spring 34 can return the latch-dogs to the position of Fig. 4. In order to operate these levers in the manner described, I provide by the side of the coinslot 15 and directly above these levers 42 a key-slot 50, through which the key 44, heretofore referred to, is adapted to be inserted. This key is rectangular and flat, as shown, and has extending from its body two substantially equal lengthened prongs 51 of such a length that when the key 44 is inserted in the slot 50 these prongs 51 will engage the inner ends 43 of the levers 42, as shown in Fig. 2, and move the levers from the position which they assume when the parts are in the position of Fig. 4 to the positionof Fig. 2.

In order to insure only the proper key being used, I cut in the key-shank longitudinal notches 53 and 54, as shown, and place in the key-slot correspondingly-located blocks 55 and 60, in the manner in which such devices are used in many forms of locks. In the center of the key there is a central prong 62 of greater length than the side prongs 51, heretofore described, adapted when inserted to engage and press sidewise out of the plane of the levers 42 a supplemental latch 64, which normally locks the supplemental levers, as shown in Fig. 5, in the position of Fig. 4. This latch 64 consists of a flat spring-plate 65, secured at its upper end by any suitable means to the interior frame.

In order to protect the bank so that coins cannot be abstracted through the coin-slot, supplemental latches 65 and 66 are provided,

carried upon springs 67, so mounted that they tend to and normally do force these latches 65 and 66 through the rear frameplate 17, as is best shown in Fig. 5. The coin in passing through the slot 15and the slot 20 is adapted to force both of these supplemental latches 65 and 66 out of its way; but these latches being independently mounted it is not easy for any tool inserted through the slot for the purpose of improperly abstracting a coin to simultaneously move both of these latches out of the normal position, (shown in Fig. 5,) with the result that they, in combination with the coil-spring 34, thoroughly protect the soin-slot, so that a coin cannot in practice be abstracted through it.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a savings-bank, the combination of a receptacle; a cover therefor a pair of latchdogs pivotally mounted in one of said members; a single spring mechanism engaging both of said latch-dogs, adapted to normally hold said dogs in detachable engagement with the opposite member; a pivoted supplemental lever engaging each of said latchdogs; and a key insertible from outside the device adapted to engage said supplemental -levers to move said latch-dogs out of engagement with the second member.

2. In a savings-bank, the combination with a receptacle and a cover therefor, of a latchdog pivoted in one of said members; mechanism for normally holding said latch-dog in detachable engagement with the other member; a supplemental lever engaging said latch-dog; supplemental latch mechanism normally locking said supplemental lever, and mechanism insertible from outside the bank to release said latch and engage said supplemental lever to move it in such a way that it moves said latch-dog out of engagement with the second member.

8. In a saving-bank, the combination of a receptacle; a cover therefor a pair of latchdogs pivotally mounted in one of said members, a single spring mechanism engaging both of said latch-dogs, adapted to normally hold said dogs in detachable engagement with the opposite members; a pivoted supplemental lever engaging each of said latchdogs supplemental latch mechanism nor- Inally locking said supplemental levers, and a key insertible from outside the device adapted to release said latch and engage said supplemental levers to move said latch-dogs: out of engagement with the second member.

4. In a savings-bank, the combination of a receptacle, a cover therefor, a coin-slot in one of said members, a frame mounted in the member in which the coin-slot is located composed of spaced plates located on opposite sides of said coin-slot as described, a pair IOO ISO

of latch-dogs pivotally mounted between said frame-plates adapted to normally detaehably engage .the opposite member of the frame-plate engaging the adjacent latch-dog, 1o and a key insertible through an independent slot in the receptacle engaging said supplemental levers to release said latch-dogs as described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of tWo Wit- I5 nesses.

OTTO PFLEGER. Witnesses:

JOSEPH RINGLER, THEoDoRn NICOLOTTO. 

